Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking {Book Review}

With the holidays coming up, big family meals are something many of us look forward to and count on. I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for new recipes to try, whether it’s for Sunday brunch, a fourth of July picnic or Christmas morning breakfast. Enter “Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking” cookbook which has over one hundred homestyle recipes to choose from!

The book is written by Heather Bell of @JustTheBells10, who is well-known across social media platforms for her viral cooking videos. Bell is the mother of eight children, and together with her husband of 28+ years, they manage an active farm of 4,000 laying hens, Clydesdale horses and cattle.

Recipes include:

• Sloppy Joe Corn Bread Casserole
• Cast Iron Cowboy Beans
• Gideon’s Favorite “Mom’s Breakfast Pizza”
• Creamy Shrimp and Grits
• Hailey’s Vegetarian Lasagna
• and much, much more!

One of the yummiest desserts I found in the cookbook is Heather’s Cast Iron Chocolate Chip–Stuffed Brownies! Check out the recipe below and just know that there are plenty more delicious recipes in the book.

The following is an excerpt from Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking: 100+ Big-Batch Homestyle Recipes Your Family Is Gonna Love! by Heather Bell. Copyright © 2024 by Simon & Schuster, LLC. Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Photographs by Emily Weeks.

Cast Iron Chocolate Chip–Stuffed Brownies

When I was growing up, my dad would make everything in cast iron pans. It didn’t matter what
it was; he was a terrific cook. It took me years to get comfortable making dinner with cast iron pans, never mind baking with them. But after embracing cast iron cooking, I decided to try my hand at baking, so I went online and bought some cast iron pie pans, baking sheets, baking pans, and brownie pans. I couldn’t wait to use them, and my first thought was brownies— but with a twist! And so, I created my stuffed brownies with chocolate chip cookie dough. They are amazing!

Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 50 minutes Yields: 14 servings

Ingredients:
11⁄2 cups white sugar
1 cup salted butter
1⁄4 cup water
3 cups milk chocolate chips, divided 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
4 large eggs, room temperature 11⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1 batch Nana’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies (walnuts omitted), unbaked (see recipe in Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and water. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, around 3–4 minutes making sure to stir constantly.
3. Remove from heat and add 2 cups chocolate chips and vanilla paste. Mix until smooth, then add eggs, one at a time, mixing between each one.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to chocolate mixture along with remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Continue stirring until flour mixture is well blended.
5. Pour into a greased 17″ round cast iron pan. Drop cookie dough throughout brownie batter using a small scooper.
6. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once done, let stand until cooled and then cut into squares and serve.

“Mama Bell’s Big Family Cooking” cookbook has recipes that are excellent for holiday celebrations, Sunday brunch or family get-togethers. The meals are great for groups of any size and are sure to please!

Published by Adams Media, the cookbook can be found wherever books are sold. For more information, check out the publisher’s website.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. I received a complimentary book which helped facilitate this review. The images shown in this post are used with permission. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.